Desert Rats
by VR Commando ATA
Summary: When a Forerunner ship is found hidden under the sand in a desert on a UNSC colony world ONI sends a spook and a Sparan team to investigate. Though the Spartans are the best of the best they don't know the land. So who can the UNSC send as reinforcments? The Desert Rats of course. I OWN NOTHING.
1. Desert Rats

**Desert Rats**

Location: UNSC Delta Base (Rat's Nest), UNSC Colony World Galileo

Date: June 12, 2546 1346 hours SMT

"Sergeant Major Trevelyn, report to the command office immediately." The intercom suddenly blared, waking Josh Trevelyn from his sleep.

"On my way there now." He replied quickly putting on his armor. Only stopping to make sure it is on correctly. He got after his troops when there armor wasn't on right and he made sure that his was always good to go at any time. After getting his gear he started heading to the command office. Once he got there he notice that the bases CO, Major Jennifer Doles, the bases AI Thor, and what he assumed was an ONI spook were waiting for him.

"Sir. Ma'am." He said quickly saluting them.

"Josh, good to see you finally made it." Doles said to him.

"What is this about Jenny?" He replied use his childhood nickname for her. Both he and the Major had grown up on Reach. They were best friends since first grade and as teenagers their parents would always joke that one day they would get married.

"I need you and your squad to check out this…artifact…that ONI found."

"That explains the spook, but not why you pick my squad."

Suddenly the spook decided he would explain it, interrupting Doles and earning a dirty look from her.

"You are the only soldier here that _Jenny_ trusts with her life." The spook said with a mocking glare at the Major. The only thing that kept the Sergeant from wondering if she really was ONI was the patch on the spooks shoulder.

'And here I thought that spooks didn't have souls let alone a personality' The Sergeant thought to himself.

"Also," the spook continued, "the Major and I will be coming with you and your squad."

"Oh, well, that actually makes sense." Josh said.

"Good now that that's settled we move out in three minutes." The spook said.

"I'll need more time to get the squad ready." Josh told her.

"Fine, then just have them combat ready by 1400 hours."

"Understood Ma'am we'll be ready in ten." Josh said before walking off. As he was heading out of the door he noticed the spook looked like she was trying to remember something.

Five minutes later his squad was gathered and waiting in the motor pool all of them in the company's signature desert camo armor. Josh then noticed that the Major and the spook were also there. Then he noticed another thing. As usual the squad's most recent addition was late.

"By the way," the spook said suddenly behind him, "my name is Terra. It might be easier to get along if we knew each others names."

For the second time today Josh began to rethink what he knew about spooks.

Before he could say anything Private Trixie 'Tricky' Jones ran in.

"Private Jones reporting s-," she said noticing the spook, "Terra, is that you?"

"Sis!" the spook yelled before running up and hugging her apparent sister.

"Um…Sarge, am I dreaming or did a spook just show emotion?" the squads medic Vicky said with a shocked look to match every one else's.

"Vicky if this were a dream then you and I wo-" The squads demolitions expert, Harvey, started to say. He instantly shut up when Vicky shot him a look that would make an Elite curl up into a ball, sucking its thumb and calling for its mamma.

"Ok, so you to are sisters!?" the Major said still in shock that the spook hugged someone.

"I would have told you if I had known she was in this squad." Terra said still smiling.

"Well I for one am glad that the spook we are working with isn't like all the other spooks." The squad's sniper Jace said.

"Not all of us are like that." Terra said defensively. "Captain Dare isn't like that."

"Is there anyone else besides you two that show emotions?" Jace asked.

"….I choose not to answer that."

After that statement Jace smirked and said something about Terra only pretending so they like her. The response to that comment was a very fast and seemingly very strong right hook from Trixie.

"Don't you ever talk that way about my sister again!" she yelled over a bleeding Jace.

"Alright move so I can stitch him up." Vicky said.

Quite a few stitches and an entire can of bio foam later they were getting into the Warthogs. Jace, staying as far away from Trixie as he could after the punch he got from her. Right as they were about to leave a group of Spartans came in.

"Spartan team Scorpion reporting as ordered ma'am." The Spartan in golden armor said. After seeing an emotional spook Josh wasn't that surprised that the Spartan was female.

"Nice we got tanks on legs for back-up." Harvey said.

"Spartans, grab two 'hogs for your selves and let's go." Terra told them.

Five minutes later they were moving out.

"Hey Sarge," Carmine, the squad's resident smart ass, asked "did you know we would be getting Spartans for back-up?"

"No I didn't." Josh told him. 'But if I had known I wouldn't have brought so many heavy weapons.' He thought to himself.

"I've heard some of the stories about them and I think that they are just that."

"Just what, Carmine?"

"Stories that's all they are. Outfit Marines or even ODSTs with the stuff they have and I bet they could do the same thing. There just some pencil pushers way of making him self look good."

"I hear it's a woman actually."

"Who gives a fuck, it's not like it even matters."

"Just shut up you two." There 'hogs turret operator and the squad's com expert Mike said.

"All 'hogs stop. We're here." Terra said over the com.

'I thought Jenny said it was an artifact.' Josh thought to himself as he looked over the ruins, if they could even be called that, they looked brand new.

"Welcome to the UNSC's second Forerunner artifact excavation site, which we will now call-" Terra began.

"Rat Mine!" Carmine shouted, which resulted in everyone looking at him.

"No, Salvation." Terra finished glaring at Carmine.

"Fine, I guess that's good to." Carmine said a little disappointed.

"Now that that's settled, who wants to be the first to go in?" Terra asked everyone.

**Authors notes:**

**Internet cake for anyone who, one the first try figures out where I got the name Trevelyn from. :D**

**Also In case you are wondering I probably will have Carmine killed later in the story.**

**Terra is the way she is because I don't like the shared personality of all ONI spooks. I made her have a sister in the squad just because I wanted to do it.**


	2. Into The Unknown

**Into The Unknown**

Location: UNSC Delta Base (Rat's Nest), UNSC Colony World Galileo

Date: June 12, 2546 1832 hours SMT

"I say the squads scout goes first. It is what scouts are supposed to do." Harvey said.

"I am not going in first." Carmine said.

"Carmine, shut up. You, Jace, and I are going in first" Josh said to both of them.

"Eleanor, go with them." Terra told one of the Spartans. "You're Scorpion's scout sniper."

"Yes Ma'am." The Spartan said.

"I can't tell the difference between the men and the women in that squad." Harvey whispered to Vicky.

"It's the armor." Terra told them, some how managing to sneak up behind them.

"Ok, light weapons for this we want to be able to move fast." Josh said to his small group.

Ten minutes later they were inside the ancient structure. The entire time Carmine had managed to remain quiet. Suddenly Josh heard something form their left. He signaled for the group to hold position. They waited a few seconds and then moved to were the sound came from. When they got there they saw a long, gray, metal item. Like an idiot, Jace decided to pick it up.

"Private, put that down!" Josh yelled at his subordinate.

"Oh come on Sarge. Its not-" Jace suddenly stopped when the object started to morph in his hand until it resembled a sniper.

"What. The. Hell. Is that thing." The Spartan said in a heavy Texas accent.

"I'm guessing a sniper. Carmine, quite staring at it. It probably won't do anything else." Trevelyn said to the scout. Then he noticed what he was staring at wasn't the gun but the thing that might have dropped it.

"Spartan, put a light right there."

"On it Sergeant." She replied. She activated her armors lights and what they saw was disturbing. "That's not an alien skeleton, but the one over there is."

The human skeleton had a strange looking blade holding it to the wall and the alien skeleton had a sword were the group was assuming the heart would have been.

"I don't think that's a human gun."

"Major, you might want to have everyone come to our position." Josh said.

After a few minutes every single member of both squads were at the group's position.

"So what exactly is so important that we had to come here before you could turn on the lights?" Harvey asked a little annoyed.

"That." Josh said pointing to the skeletons.

"And the Covenant thinks that Forerunners are gods. You can't kill a god. Right?" Terra asked to no one in particular.

"I don't really care just as long as its dead it looks like it didn't like humans." Harvey said.

"Jenny? You haven't said a single word about this." Terra asked the Major.

"I'm fine its just that…well…we been fighting the Covenant for years now because they were killing us for being heretics and now we find out they might have been right about one thing." She replied.

"That doesn't mean it was right of them." Josh said.

"You're right Josh." Jenny said.

"Hey guys I think I might have found a light switch." Carmine said.

"What makes you say that? Does it say light switch?" Vicky said.

"Its big glowing and looks like it has buttons."

"It could also be a self destruct switch." Jace said.

"Maybe Jace or I should check it be-" Terra started to say, but stopped when Carmine pressed the button.

Suddenly all the lights turned on and monitors lit up, one of which said press here to replay last video in English and in a different language.

"So how about we see what happened to the people on this ship."

**Authors notes:**

**Specialties of the members of Desert Rats**

**Joshua 'Josh' Treveyln: Assault**

**Victoria 'Vicky' Lansan: Medic**

**Jason 'Jace' Alans: Field Scientist**

**Andrew 'Andy' Carmine: Scout/Recon**

**Harvey 'Harv' Richards: Demolitions**

**Trixie 'Tricky' Jones: Spy/Surveillance**

**Specialties of the members of Scorpion**

**Jane S-099: Assault/Demolitions**

**Eleanor 'Ellie' S-060: Scout/Recon**

**Hector S-004: Medic/Field Scientist**

**Kevin S-120: Spy/Surveillance**

**Others**

**Jennifer 'Jenny' Doles: Assault**

**Terra 'Terry' Jones: Spy/Surveillance**

**Should the chapters be longer or stay as a short length.**


	3. Shocking Discoveries

**Shocking Discoveries**

Location: Alien Artifact Designate Salvation, UNSC Colony World Galileo

Date: June 12, 2546 2022 hours SMT

The group watched as what they assumed was a log book of sorts began to play. In the image they saw a battered and bloody human holding a rifle and people standing guard behind him.

"This is Captain Usofal Voran of the human fleet Centari. Our mission to take this Forerunner ship has failed. We are able to cause it to crash onto a nearby uninhabited planet. We will probably not survive the crash, but neither will the Forerunners. I don't now why I'm recording this. Maybe a rescue team will come searching for us and find this, I don't know. For those who come after us, kill any and all things that threaten humanity, and kill them without mercy. Captain Voran signing off, for the last time." As Voran turned off the recorder he picked up his rifle and prepared to be the first to leave the room.

"We are ready when you are Captain." His best friend and second in command Jul Narom told him.

"Soldiers, it has been an honor to serve with all of you. My only regret is that we can't take any more of these fucking bastards down with us. We knew what we were signing up for when we joined the fleet. I only have one other thing to say. Give them hell troopers." He told the 12 men and women (not counting himself and Jul) under his command.

His teams scout activated his thermal vision to see if any Forerunner warriors were outside the door. A quick nod of his head confirmed that there were and a couple of wrist flicks told them how many there were.

"Flash bang out!" Zena Falgon shouted as she quickly did a breach and clear maneuver with the help of Jul, Usofal, and Gryon Zarvex. Once the area was clear of warriors, the rest of the team came out.

"The bridge should be this way." Xano Dast said "We should be there in…" Xano was cut off as a hardlight sword was shoved through him pinning him to the wall. [**Xano's skeleton is the one that the team has already come across.]**

"Xano!" Xana Dast, Xano's only sibling and twin shouted as she watched her brother die. She then pulled out her energized sword **[Picture a glowing katana blade]** and rammed it through the Forerunner pinning it to the opposite wall.

"Xana, we must continue." Jul told her pulling her away from her brother's body. As they left Usofal walked up and closed Xano's eyes.

"Rest in peace my friend. You have seen the end of the war at last." Usofal said to the inanimate body of his former comrade. He placed the Forerunner weapon that Xano loved by his feet. "When Judgment Day comes at least I know a good soldier will be fighting the daemons of hell." Usofal said to his symbol of God. **[Since this is pre-Christianity the symbol of God isn't a cross. It is a sword with angel wings at the hilt. Has to be something.]**

The group continued to walk to where they believed the bridge was located. As Xano was their navigator, the group's progress through the ship was greatly decreased. They came across a door that had armory written in Forerunner.

"Let's grab some weapons before we continue." Jul suggested.

"Alright, we might find something we can us as well as weapons." Usofal said remembering how the Forerunner that killed Xano was able to teleport. They entered the armory, but instead of weapons the group found what looked like attachments to armor and an upgrade for jetpacks.

"These must be prototype Forerunner equipment." Xana exclaimed suddenly.

"Leave them." Zena said. Everyone looked at her when she said that. "We are going to die aboard this ship either way. We leave these here for the rescue team that might show up." She explained.

"And if the rescue team is a Forerunner team?" Usofal asked her.

"We attach a scanner to the door that only recognizes human DNA, life signs, and looks." Gryon said.

"That could work." The group's youngest member, Trigox Halvon, said. He and Gryon began setting up the scanner as the others stood watch.

"There that should do it." Xana said activating their scanner.

"How long will the energy last for?" Usofal asked.

"As long as this ship has energy, so does the scanner." Xana said double checking that their forced connection worked.

"Good let's go, we will be I position to crash the ship in 10 minutes." Usofal said.

They began making their way to the bridge heading in the direction of the most enemies. On their way to the bridge most of the squad died in combat. All that was left was Xana, Gryon, Zena, Trygox, Jul, and Usofal. They had finally reached the bridge with only half their squad left. Jul had been shot protecting Zena and could feel that he was dying.

"I hope there is a way for us to survive this." Jul said.

"I hope so to Jul." Zena said.

"Alright the bridge is just behind this door. Get ready to breach and clear." Usofal said. He then began counting down from ten. When he hit zero the team broke into the bridge and began firing at the Forerunners. There weapons ran out of ammo as the last of the Forerunners on the ship hit the ground. Usofal was about to go to the command console when he noticed medigel and slipspace cryo-pods.

"Jul put that medigel on. The rest of you get in the pods." Usofal said. As jul put on the gel Usofal noticed that there was only one pod left. Usofal knew which one of them would be taking it.

"You…won't have…my ship human…filths." A Forerunner said as he set the ship on a crash course to the sun instead of the planet.

"Shit!" Usofal yelled as the Forerunner captain died.

"Some one needs to stay behind and fix the ships course." Jul said. "I guess that is going to be me."

"Alright walk with me to the pod Jul." Usofal said wanting to have as much time with his friend as he could. When they reached the pod Usofal turned around to speak to Jul.

"Good bye sir. It has been an honor to serve with you Captain." Jul said.

"Like wise. Good bye my friend I shall see you in heaven." Usofal said. as Usofal finished saying this he grabbed Jul and through him into the pod before closing and activating it.

"But you will have to wait a bit longer." Usofal said. He had planed on giving Jul the pod from the time he say that it was the only one left. He was their commander. It was his job to keep them safe, even if it means that he must die to do it. And he was dying either way. Jul's wound may have been able to be healed be the medigel, but Usofal's where to bad and to numerous. He had taken many rounds on their way to the bridge and could feel himself slipping faster and faster. As the Forerunner ship approached the sun Usofal grabbed the controls and spun them around. He set it to head to the planet and then sat back and relaxed. He began to see images of everyone he had known and loved. His mother and father, who had been KIA during one of the first assaults against the Forerunners. His fiancé, who had died in his arms during one of his first missions as a commanding officer. Even his squad was there. All of the specters telling him that he had done a good job and that he couldn't have done it any better, and he knew it. He didn't look bake at his life and try to think of how he could have done it differently, he looked at it and saw a job well done. As the ship hit the atmosphere Usofal closed his eyes one last time. The last thing he saw was the ship crash landing, but the pods staying intact. He smiled once more and finally felt nothing as he died in peace. Finally seeing the end of the war.

Back to the present

"So, we fought aliens even before we met the Covenant?" Carmine asked.

"Apparently we did Andrew." Josh said to him completely at a loss for words.

"I think maybe we should continue to explore the ship." Terra said to them.

Unknown to them five pods that had been sealed for millenniums waiting for their rescue teams suddenly opened spilling out five ancient humans who were very much alive.

**Authors Notes:**

**I bet some of you thought that Usofal was going to let his friend die huh. Well no dice on that, he was a great commanding officer.**

**Incase the ancient names are too weird for you; the ancient humans will have to change them in order to fit in now any ways.**

**That armory will come into play later. Just not for the Ancients, Desert Rats, Jenny, Terra, or Spartan Scorpion team.**

**VR Commando ATA out.**


End file.
